For my Farm Field Trip I visited a local bee yard owned
by the Utah State University Extension Office. I set my appointment up through
my sister, Kim, who is conducting research there. I accompanied Kim and her
team to the bee yard, which was in a secluded field near Gosner’s, here in
Logan, Utah. We arrived in the morning on a warm day to make sure the bees were
active. I was required to be completely suited up in protective gear, including
a bee suit, mask, gloves, and shoes. The yard was composed of approximately 16 hives.
 |
| Small-scale bee farm boxes |
We began by starting a fire in the smoker. This was an
interesting process while trying to get the correct fuel to produce plentiful
smoke. The smoker was prepped first to ensure that its use was immediate once
the hives were opened. The smoke acted as a calming agent for the bees while
the hives were accessed.
 |
| Preparing the Smoker, I am suited on the left |
 |
| Smoking the hive, I am suited on the far left |
Upon opening the first hive and applying copious amounts
of smoke, I was shown the different boxes of the hive. The uppermost boxes are
used for the honey, and the lower boxes for brood. We were able to remove trays
from each of the boxes and examine the differences. It was fascinating to see
the mass amounts of bees scurrying around in every direction, each performing a
very specific duty. Kim pointed out the differences in male and female bees,
and we were even able to locate the queen, which proved to be a very daunting
task.
Kim’s research is involved in producing an organic pest
control method to treat a notorious honey bee pest known as the Varroa mite.
Once the mites infest the hive, they cling to the backs of the bees and then
infest the brood cells. If uncontrolled, the mites can completely kill the
hive. To treat these pests, we applied a thick layer of plain powdered sugar
with a sifter all over the tops of the boxes and the bees. We then used a brush
to make sure that sugar reached in between each frame. The powdered sugar
causes the bees backs to become slippery and also encourages mutual grooming
amongst the bees. Both cause the mites to either fall from the bees backs, or
become dislodged during grooming. The mites then fall to the bottom floor of
the hive and either die, or cannot make the climb back up into the hive. I
enjoyed this part, is was fun to see the bees become completely covered in the
white sugar and then begin grooming each other.
 |
| Adding powdered sugar to the frames using the sifter |
 |
| Brushing the sugar down in to the frames using the brush |
 |
| Brush and Sifter |
After treating each hive, we ensured that all the frames
were replaced and then carefully replaced each box, taking care not to crush
too many bees. After this long day I had a chance to ask Kim some questions.
What kind of bees do you work with? – “Apis mellifera,
the Western Honey Bee.”
Will this honey be used for sale? – “As a small-scale
bee yard, our main concern is just making sure that the bees are able to make
enough honey to sustain themselves through the next winter and are unharmed by
our research activities. But if we are lucky and have a plentiful year, we hope
to harvest and sell the honey at local farmer’s markets. Or keep a few bottles
for ourselves”
If successful, can
your research be applied to large-scale bee farms? – “Absolutely. This work is
especially targeting farms that want to keep an organic honey product. The
addition of this pure sugar allows for that.”
How long does the
bee farming season last? – “Here in Utah, you can think of bees being active at
the same times that you want to be outside. As soon as the weather warms up and
flowers begin to bloom, bees are busy working. And before the cold winter sets
in, the bees have hopefully prepared their stores for the winter. We are just
along to provide necessary resources and also to help winterize the hive at the
end of the season.”
From my research, I found that this particular bee farm
was similar to other bee farms around the country. There were differences since
it was a small-scale farm used primarily for research. It is common for bees to be moved from site to site to maximize productivity and make the best use of seasonally available forage. In addition, specialist colonies can only be obtained in certain geographical locations. For those bee farmers who provide pollination services, the ability to move hives efficiently is essential. Bee farmers may use specially-adapted vehicles to increase efficiency and enable access to sometimes awkward sites. Since the farm I visited was so small and used primarily for research, they did not have to worry too much about moving their boxes to different locations. Plus, they used the common honey bee which made it easy to adapt to Utah's climate.
While a significant proportion of activity is outdoors during the spring and summer months, it is essential to be able to harvest and process honey efficiently and hygienically, and to recover beeswax which is obtained as a by-product of the processing operation. Another main difference is that most large-scale bee farms are solely for the production and sale of honey. On the farm I visited, with good results on the research, they are hopeful to
harvest and sell the honey at local farmer’s markets this coming fall.
Despite their differences, every bee farm uses the same equipment. They all need: a hive and frames, a smoker, a hat with a veil, a protective suit, and gloves, And, they all battle the same challenges such as wild animals, weather conditions, and the integrity of the hive itself. Overall, this was an interesting learning experience for me and I most certainly appreciate all types of farmers.
 |
| Hive Frames |
Raposo, Jacqueline. "Everything You Need to Know About Keeping Bees and Producing Your Own Honey." Serious Eats, Serious Eats Inc, 9 May 2014, www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/how-to-raise-bees-honey-beekeeping-introduction.html. Accessed 26 Apr. 2017.
